The World Wide Web (WWW) represents
an exciting and potent force for educational content delivery. There are numerous
multimedia technologies that can facilitate self-directed, practice-centered
learning and meet the challenges of educational delivery to the adult learner.
However, delivering content via the WWW has been plagued by unreliability
and inconsistency of information transfer, resulting in unacceptable delays
and the inability to effectively deliver complex multimedia elements including
audio, video, and animation. This article describes how a CD/Web hybrid, essentially
a web site on a compact disc (CD), combines the strengths of the CD-ROM and
the WWW, and facilitates the delivery of multimedia elements while preserving
connectivity. Pressing a web site onto a CD-ROM can reduce the amount of time
that students spend interacting with a given technology, and can increase
the amount of time they spend learning.

INTRODUCTION

One of the long-standing problems in delivering
educational content via the World Wide Web (WWW) has been the unreliability
and inconsistency of information transfer via Internet connections. Whether
connection to the WWW is established over conventional telephone lines or
higher speed networks, often communication is delayed or terminated because
of bottlenecks at the server level, or because of congestion at any point
in the line of transmission. Further, the current state of technology does
not allow for the optimal delivery of multimedia elements including audio,
video and animation. Larger multimedia files require lengthy download times
which means that students have to wait too long to view or hear these files.
Even simple graphics can cause unacceptable delays. A CD/Web hybrid, essentially
a web site on a compact disc (CD), can serve as a workable solution to these
problems.

In this article, the author presents a brief
review of the strengths and weaknesses of the WWW as a tool for delivering
educational content to the online learner. The author also presents a rationale
for the use of CD/Web hybrids in concert with the WWW to utilize the advantages
inherent in both technologies.

WEB TECHNOLOGY AND ADULT
LEARNING THEORY

It is becoming increasingly clear that learning
takes place in a complex internal and external environment. Knowles theory
of andragogy (as cited in Blackmore, 1996) is an attempt to explain
the differences between the way adults learn from the way children learn.
Blackmore lists the assumptions inherent in this adult learning theory:

1. Adults are goal oriented.

2. Adults are relevancy oriented (problem-centered),
that is, they need to know why they are learning something.

3. Adults are practical and problem solvers.

4. Adults have accumulated life experiences.

5. Adults are autonomous and self-directed.

An important part of andragogy is the
notion of self-directed learning, which suggests that the instructional design
process needs to involve the learner. Mutual planning, evaluation of delivery
and instruction, and needs-based instruction should be hallmarks of adult
education (Wratcher, Morrison, Riley, & Scheirton, 1997).

At the present time, the adult learning theory
paradigm has shifted from a teaching environment to a learning environment
(Berge & Collins, 1995; Schuyler, 1997). Students are not to be filled
up as if they were passive, empty vessels. Instead of being the passive recipients
of knowledge, students are capable of constructing their own knowledge with
guidance from their teachera theory referred to as "practice-centered
learning (Berge & Collins, 1995)." Students can become lifelong learners
by being enabled to locate the resources necessary to continue learning.

If adult learners are autonomous, and prefer
self-directed study, they should respond well to the independent nature of
distance education via the WWW. Further, the vast resources of the WWW should
enable students to acquire the information necessary to construct their own
knowledge. However, the distance education classroom must be rendered interactive
in order to promote participation and independence without isolation. The
educator must learn how to construct a learning environment that stimulates
student motivation and promotes skills that encourage self-directed and independent
learning.

There are several technologies within the
realm of distance learning and the WWW that can facilitate self-directed,
practice-centered learning, and meet the challenges of educational delivery
to the adult learner. Several forms of synchronous (real time) and asynchronous
(delayed time) technology can provide communication between teacher and learner
that is stimulating and that meets the needs of the learner. Information can
be delivered in a variety of forms. Real-time "chat", "threaded"
discussion areas, hypermedia such as audio, video and graphics, Shockwave,
Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and Java applets, are just some of
the new and/or emerging technologies that promise to make the WWW compelling
and interactive while delivering rich content. Together, these multimedia
technologies represent an innovative and potent force for educational delivery
over the Web (Kaplan, 1997).

McKeachie noted that student interest and
curiosity can provide intrinsic motivation and aid student learning (1994,
p.349). Poor students are not necessarily poor learners; nor are they unmotivated.
According to McKeachie, students are constantly learning and are highly motivated
about a great number of things. However, the things they are motivated to
learn are not necessarily those that will help them to attain the goals of
a given course. Therefore, one of the tasks of the teacher is to nurture curiosity
and use it as a motive for learning. A compelling and interactive web site
can stimulate student interest and curiosity. Several multimedia technologies
available to the distance educator might be useful in creating such an environment.
Hypertext and hypermedia, such as audio, video and graphics, can be delivered
over the WWW and engage both the interest and the various learning styles
of adult learners (Kaplan, 1997).

In higher education, there exists rationale
for (Kilian, 1997) and examples of (Collins, 1997; Vishwanatham, Wilkins &
Jevec, 1997) the use of the WWW as an effective medium for instruction. There
is a new paradigm for using interactive multimedia technologies for teaching
and learning via the WWW (Kaplan, 1997). There exists sufficient rationale
and standards of good practice for the use of multimedia technology in education
(The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges [ASCCC], 1997), and
for use in employee training (Merrill, 1997; Black & Goldstein, 1998).

Web Technology Limitations

Guenette and Gustavson (1996) observed that
todays web sites are following the same path as early CD-ROMs. Most
early CDs were text-only, and gradually became reliant on complex multimedia.
So too, todays web sites, which began as text-only, now are moving increasingly
towards the use of more complex multimedia. Multimedia technologies can be
built into an educational web site, but not without a "cost". Delays
attendant to file transfers on the WWW make it difficult to incorporate multimedia
technologies (Carman & Boynton, 1997). Technological barriers to delivering
effective educational content via the WWW include the unreliability of network
connections, insufficient bandwidth, problems at the server level and congestion
over the data transmission lines, each of which serves to delay transmission
of data. This means that the WWW often becomes the "World Wide Wait",
causing students to waste valuable time. Worse yet, students spend more time
interacting with the technology rather than learning from the technology.

Haring (1998) noted that "streaming media"
has become the latest rage in the delivery of online audio and video. Streaming
is a video and audio compression technology that allows for more immediate
playback of multimedia elements on a web page. Companies like Broadcast.com,
and Real-Networks, are setting the standard for todays web streaming
systems (Harm, 1998). RealNetworks estimates that 6.7 million viewers go to
its hub site for streaming media each month. Even though streaming media has
become increasingly popular, the price of increasing Web complexity continues
to be the reduction of transfer speeds. Though bandwidth restrictions are
likely to lessen in the next few years due to the roll out of cable modems
and digital subscriber telephone lines throughout the country, for the near
future, internet speed gains will be neither ubiquitous nor cheap (Hallett,
1998).

Several delivery options have been suggested
(Carman & Boynton, 1997) to address the current bandwidth restrictions
of the WWW. CD-ROM, computer hard drive, local and wide-area networks, and
hybrid systems (either from a CD or a computer hard drive) can be used to
deliver large multimedia files while also providing access to the extended
content of the WWW. The choice of delivery medium would be dependent on the
types of media to be used, the accessibility of content to the users, and
the life-cycle of course content.

CD/WEB HYBRID

How is an instructor to provide a multimedia
rich web site that is compelling and stimulates student interest, and at the
same time is able to deliver large data files without the attendant wait that
is still characteristic of the WWW? A partial solution is to utilize CD/Web
hybrid technology, which merges the strengths of the CD-ROM and the WWW (Andrews,
1996; Hallett, 1998; Heid, 1997).

Both CD-ROM drives and computer processors
are considerably faster than the common data transmission hardware (modem)
of the typical web connection. Holsinger (1994, p. 151) noted that early CD-ROM
drives "oozed" information at a rate of 150K/second. At that sustained
rate, the first-generation, 1-speed, CD-ROM drives would take about seven
seconds to transfer a megabyte (1024K) of data, making them roughly as fast
as a TI connection (Hallett, 1998). Standard equipment in many newer computers
includes a 24 or even 32-speed CD-ROM drive, catapulting the delivery speed
exponentially. By comparison, todays typical modem, a 28.8 Kbps modem,
takes about five minutes to transfer a megabyte of data. Hallett noted that
standard PC processor speeds have doubled over the past 18 months while CD-ROM
speeds have quadrupled. This represents a remarkable speed advantage for the
CD-ROM drive over the modem, especially considering that analysts expect two-thirds
of all Web users will be "surfing" with 28.8 Kbps modems through
the year 2000 (Hallett, 1998).

The CD/Web hybrid can aid and abet the delivery
of educational content in innovative ways. Wratcher, Morrison, Riley, and
Scheirton (1997) indicated that multimedia and hypertext elements commonly
incorporated into web sites hold great promise in that they enable instructional
content to be presented "in ways that provide the continual stimulation
and reward that rival computer games (p.73). They further noted that distance
education is able to bring all of the multimedia technologies together to
provide variety in teaching (p.74). Given the current data transfer limitations
of the inter-net, pressing a multimedia web site onto a CD-ROM, may prove
to be one of the most efficient and effective ways of delivering educational
content via the WWW. Creating a web site that could be played off of a CD-ROM
drive would enable an instructor to include rich audio and video content since
the delivery would not be restricted to the slow transfer speeds of the modem.
Hyperlinks on the CD-ROM would take a student from the CD-ROM out to the Internet,
and back again, seamlessly. Further, with the ability to integrate more multimedia
resources into the web site, the instructor could increase student interactivity,
curiosity, and interest in the hopes of increasing student motivation.

One of the drawbacks of using the CD/Web hybrid
is that information can not be included that is likely to change in the short
term. Heid (1997) pointed out that updates to a CD-ROM are not as convenient,
nor as immediate as updates to a traditional web site. Data becomes frozen
and cant be updated. According to Heid, integration of information requires
a companion web site where "users download updates, read current information,
and interact on discussion boards."

The private sector and the federal government
have increased their use of CD/Web hybrids. Nicholls (1997) pointed out that
TFPL Multimedias Multimedia and CD-ROM Directory listed 600 hybrid
CD-ROMs at the end of 1997, an increase of 160 percent since the beginning
of the year. The reason for this increase seems clear: a publisher can provide
complex multimedia files on a CD-ROM as well as add access to expanded content
via the WWW (Andrews, 1996; Heid, 1997).

PLUG-IN ARCHITECTURE

There are two main delivery methods for multimedia
elements via the WWW. One way is to use helper applications, which
are programs that allow you to view multimedia files that your browser cannot
handle internally. The files must first be downloaded and then played using
a helper application. Downloading large multimedia files is very time-consuming
and thus helper applications have given way to a second method of multimedia
delivery: the plug-in. A plug-in is a small application that extends
the built-in capabilities of the web browser. In contrast to helper applications,
plug-ins often do not require files to be downloaded in order to be played,
and allow for significant compression and more immediate playback of multimedia
filesa concept referred to as streaming.

Audio and video streaming is becoming more
popular as a means for delivering complex multimedia files because it relies
on compression schemes that reduce the time it takes to view or hear multimedia
files. Real-Networks delivers both audio and video through the use of Real
Audio and Real Video plug-in architectures that extend the browser support
for video and audio streaming (Haring, 1998).

However, until all browser software includes
built-in support for various audio and video compression schemes, it will
be prudent for the educator to select plug-in software that supports multiple
platforms and various file formats. Using multimedia files that require proprietary
plug-ins can force the user to install numerous pieces of software in order
to access multimedia elements. Horton and Lynch (1997) have warned that requiring
too many plug-ins would risk "losing students and other site visitors
[by requiring them] to jump through hoops in order to view your content (p.16)."

Apple Computers Quick Time technology
is a cross-platform product that has the largest installed base of any digital
audiovisual format (Horton & Lynch, 1997). QuickTime is a multiplatform
standard used by multimedia software tool vendors and content creators to
store, edit, and play synchronized graphics, sound, video, text, and music.
QuickTime playback options transcend a wide range of media from the Internet
to CD-ROM titles to professional broadcasting. QuickTime is useful in playing
multiple file formats including graphic, audio and video files. There are
over 20 file formats supported directly by the QuickTime 2.0 Plug-in. This
alleviates the need to download and install dozens of proprietary products
that only support a single media type, or to use and configure the helper
applications that go with them.

On a web page, the QuickTime plug-in allows
for progressive download, or "fast start." The Fast Start feature
presents die first frame of a movie/video file almost immediately and can
begin as soon as enough playable frames have been downloaded. Further, the
plug-in allows the user to play movies linearly or browse through them using
the built-in VCR-like controllers.

Since Apples QuickTime 2.0 plug-in architecture
has a large installed base, supports multiple platforms and file types, installing
it as the main plug-in of choice may obviate the need to install multiple
products to playback multimedia elements in a web site. The teacher would
simply need to create multimedia elements in the QuickTime format, or in one
of the formats supported by the QuickTime plug-in. More information about
QuickTime can be found at the Apple web site at http://www.apple.com/ quicktime.

SUMMARY

There are numerous multimedia technologies
within the realm of the WWW that can facilitate self-directed, practice-centered
learning and meet the challenges of educational delivery to the adult learner.
These multimedia technologies, if adequately delivered over the WWW, can engage
both the interest and the various learning styles of the adult learner and
represent an innovative, potent force for the delivery of educational content.
There are many types of helper applications and plug-ins used to deliver multimedia
elements. However, it would be wise for faculty to use a cross-platform plug-in
architecture like QuickTime, which provides support for up to 20 different
file formats.

There are strengths inherent in the hybrid
approach over stand-alone educational CD-ROMs or web sites. Delays associated
with current communication technologies make it difficult to incorporate multimedia
technologies over the WWW. The CD/Web hybrid can be a partial solution to
this problem as it takes advantage of the strengths of both the CD-ROM and
the WWW to facilitate educational delivery.

IMPLICATIONS

In an online distance education class, where
students spend considerable time navigating the Web, delays mean that students
spend an inordinate amount of time interacting with the technology rather
than learning. To ensure good student performance and to meet student expectations
for a high quality education, educators will need to address student success
in terms of the efficiency of time spent online.

It is crucial to the future of distance learning
in higher education that attempts at online instructional delivery be successful
from the vantage points of the students, the faculty and the administration.
Some assurance must be provided that distance learning will meet the expectations
of students for a high quality education, provide the same level of academic
excellence as courses taught in traditional modes, and successfully meet the
challenge of delivering education to an ever-burgeoning student population.
Instruction of any kind, using any delivery system, must establish and maintain
high standards of performance (ASCCC, 1997). As increasing numbers of classes
make use of online delivery methods they will also encounter increasing scrutiny
from sources outside the campus boundaries. The integrity of course outlines
and articulation agreements must be maintained to ensure course transferability,
and accreditation commissions will require standards of good practice in an
attempt to ensure the quality of distance education (McCollum, 1998).

New and emerging multimedia technologies have
important potential for enhancing the teaching and learning process. These
technologies can be delivered via the WWW and add to the acknowledged wealth
of content available on the Web. However, delivery of interactive multimedia
content via the WWW has been shown to be less than acceptable. Lengthy download
times and the need for several software plug-ins to facilitate delivery of
multimedia reduces the efficiency and effectiveness of educational content
delivery via the WWW.

Too much emphasis has been placed on the fact
that a technology can be delivered at all (e.g., streamed video over the Web),
rather than if said delivery is effective and efficient for the purpose of
teaching and learning. The reality of the current state of technology is that
bandwidth restrictions limit the ability to deliver interactive, multimedia
content via the WWW. In order for multimedia content to serve a useful purpose
in the educational setting, the question of how it is to be delivered must
first be addressed. Until bandwidth restrictions have been alleviated, the
CD/Web hybrid can provide a useful delivery system for class content while
providing access to the expanded content of the WWW.